When a Man's a Man (1935) User Reviews (7)

Good B-Western Melodrama

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 16 April 2010]

Happy-go-lucky easterner George O'Brien steps off a train to stretch his legs and ends up stranded in the middle of nowhere. On a whim, he takes a job at a local ranch and winds up in the middle of a water-rights dispute, as well as a love-triangle involving the foreman and the the ranch-owner's pretty daughter.

A very laid back B-western, When A Man's A Man features the often repeated theme of the eastern tenderfoot, who goes west, becomes a man, and gets the girl.

There's more melodrama and romance than action this time around. However, the characters are so appealing, with likable performances by O'Brien and leading lady Dorothy Wilson (who's quite charming), that it makes the film pretty compelling and well worth watching. Fans of shoot-em-up action-adventures might be disappointed though.

Things heat up considerably, making for a tense climax and a satisfying conclusion.

"You play all dumb, but you're just about as smart as they make 'em."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 26 August 2012]

On a whim, Larry Knight (George O'Brien) steps off a west bound train in Simmons, Arizona, and decides to compete for fifty dollar prize money by staying on a bucking bronco. Not only does he fall off the horse in mere seconds, but he misses the train as well. Not a very promising start for a cowboy hero, but hey, they all have to start somewhere.

Aside from the overworked story line involving disputed water rights, this oater is a pretty good one, with O'Brien's character managing to involve himself in a love triangle with rancher Kitty Baldwin (Dorothy Wilson) and her foreman Phil Acton (Paul Kelly). The rivalry is actually fairly laid back, as Phil is more understanding than one might expect in these kinds of situations. It's the villain of the piece, Nick Gambert (Harry Woods), who gets everyone's attention by denying water to the Cross Triangle's parched herd.

There's an interesting scene involving O'Brien and Triangle Country, the horse that threw him for a loop in the opening minutes. As an Easterner, there's no way Larry Knight could have known the proper technique for taming a wild horse and getting him into a supine position. The technique was effectively demonstrated in the 2011 documentary "Buck', the story of a real life horse whisperer who tamed many a wild steed and got them to be human friendly. Nevertheless, O'Brien lassos the horse's front legs, gets him under control, and mounts him to ride to the rescue of Miss Kitty in the final minutes of the story. It's an unusual resolution I haven't seen before, and I won't give it away here, but for all intents and purposes, let's just say it was a blast.

A very good B-western

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 8 August 2017]

Larry Knight (George O'Brien) arrives in town in time to see the rodeo. Phil Acton (Paul Kelly) is the star of the show...and soon both men end up working together for a rancher who is in trouble. It seems that the nearby ranch has dammed up their water supply...and as a result the nice rancher's cattle are all dying. Larry comes up with a couple schemes to alleviate the problem...during which time the rancher's nice daughter falls for him. Unfortunately, Phil has been in love with the girl for years and this might just bust up the friendship between Larry and Phil. What's to come of all this?

While George O'Brien made quite a few westerns, I was surprised to see Paul Kelly in this one. He mostly played in contemporary settings and while it was odd to see him here, he was just fine. Good writing and better than usual production values make this a B- western worth your time.

love triangle AND bad guys

[timmauk · 27 August 2001]

I ordered this film because I am a big fan of George O'Brien. I loved his silent films, especially "Sunrise" with Janet Gaynor. After silents, he became a western star. Not alot of his western films are available.

The story is about a man named Larry who is a drifter. He is traveling by train and at a stop goes to a Rodeo. He sees these guys riding a wild horse and he wants to see if he can do it. Well he falls off and to top it all off, misses his train. So he decides to stay behind and work on ranch.

Life on the old ranch is never boring. Case in point, Phil(the forehand) and Kitty(the rancher's daughter) were madly in love, that is until she got back from college. Now she is unsure. Enters new meat Larry who has also been to college. Kitty likes his looks and style. Phil doesn't like this one bit. Add to this Kitty's father is about to lose his ranch to the neighbouring cad. He has control of all the water in those parts and doesn't plan to share it with anyone. Cattle are dying and Kitty's father's money is going down the drain. Should he sell or hold out for hope. Hope comes in the way of a man named Larry.

Loved this movie. Just like the movies I saw on Saturday afternoon at the theatre when I was a young boy. Who could resist the charms of George O'Brien. What a man!!

A Fateful Journey to the West for the Man... George O'Brien

[glennstenb · 9/10 · 10 November 2019]

"When a Man's a Man" is perhaps a heavy-handed title for this film, although apt in that hero Larry (George O'Brien) does blossom well in response to the challenges he takes on in the world of the West where he suddenly finds himself. There are also in evidence characters who demonstrate what it is NOT to be a man. This is a sturdy western from 1935, one that noticeably takes itself more seriously than the B-westerns of the era... it might better be called a B+ western. The film has a more mature and adult air, including the acting, which is of a higher calling, including by those in support. The direction, editing, and cinematography are more considered... for example, camera placement and settings are just better and actually seem planned. The final scene is stunning and poetic in its composition and execution. Of course, Harold Bell Wright is the author of the story from which the program comes, and one would expect anything based on the work of this acclaimed writer would be given a boost on results. Furthermore, this western stands apart from its B-western cousins in that it has a strongly romantic aura, especially as it gives due attention to the developing romantic relationship between Larry and rancher's daughter Kitty (Dorothy Wilson). There are even some markedly passionate romantic moments in evidence that one won't see in a standard B-western. And one more thing... although the men in the film are of a breed accustomed to the rigors of life in the West, there is a kind of gentle purr to this film and you won't need a long piece of paper to tally up all those shot during the film. George O'Brien's warmth and controlled, properly-channeled (and therefore admirable and defining) masculinity is well on display here. So all in all, viewing "When a Man's a Man" likely will be rewarding for fans of American western movies.

Fair Movie

[januszlvii · 5/10 · 21 February 2023]

I have seen a number of George O'Brien movies and one thing I have always noticed: He never stands out. Look at Last of the Duanes it is clearly Myrna Loy's film ( ok, ok I admit to being a major Myrna fan, but that is just one example). Here he plays Larry Knight a New Yorker who is bankrupt and ends up out west and falls for Kitty Baldwin ( Dorothy Wilson) the daughter of a landowner who is being harmed over water rights. Dorothy is beautiful with a great figure but is dressed in man's clothes. The highlight of the film is a horse scene with O'Brien ( or stunt double) roping a horse and tying its legs like a steer. There is another scene of O'Brien riding a horse and getting thrown off and a poster comparing that and a fight with O'Brien and Paul Kelly to Gregory Peck on the horse and Peck fighting with Paul Ford to Peck fighting Charlton Heston in The Big Country. Maybe Director William Wyler saw this film and those scenes ( and the water rights issue) inspired him, but they were nothing like the Peck scenes ( Peck was astronomically better). Anyway this is a B Western not a classic like The Big Country. I give it 5 of 10 stars ( mostly for the horse scene and Dorothy Wilson)

Make sure you see this one!

[JohnHowardReid · 9/10 · 12 August 2017]

Harold Bell Wright (1872-1944) was an exceptionally popular novelist in the first and second decades of the 20th century, though only two of his books — The Shepherd of the Hills (1907) and The Winning of Barbara Worth (1911) — will ring any bells today.

This version of When a Man's a Man (which does not bear a great deal of similarity to the silent film) was re-made in 1958 by director William Wyler as a big-budget "A" feature, The Big Country. Gregory Peck, Burl Ives, Carroll Baker, Charles Bickford and Charlton Heston enacted the roles here played by George O'Brien, Harry Woods, Dorothy Wilson, Richard Carlisle and Paul Kelly, respectively.

COMMENT: The 1941 version of Rev. Harold Bell Wright's The Shepherd of the Hills became an instant cult movie in Australia when it was re-issued by Paramount in the late 1950s. Not unexpectedly, the nation's TV masters failed to capitalize on this success. The picture was allowed to slip back into obscurity until it was aired on pay-TV in 1999 and has since become one of the most requested titles on FOX Movies. The reasons for this success are simply that not only are Wright's characters strong and his plots forceful, but that he has a wonderful knack for turning story clichés on their heads. Thus an in-the-wrong father shoots his innocent son down at the climax of Shepherd; whilst, after besting a very nasty villain (who's tried to kill him, as well as murder, maim and rob the nice little heroine) in A Man's a Man, the hero calmly shakes hands with the fiend, as he exchanges a mild pleasantry — thus letting the monster off scot free, before riding off into the twilight. As brilliantly played by Harry Woods, the sadistic heavy seems even more repugnant to 2017 audiences than he did 100 years ago, on account of his cruelty to hundreds of animals whom he has deliberately deprived of water, causing them to die of thirst.

George O'Brien has one of his best roles as the carefree and irresponsible, ex-playboy hero. George plays this part so ingratiatingly, he smooths many of the character's rough and not even particularly sympathetic edges, managing to fully retain audience empathy despite some erratic, quirky and even over-pushy behavior.

An unusually fine actress to discover in a "B" western, pocket-sized Dorothy Wilson is not only beautiful but completely believable. It's a rare talent indeed who will allow her face to register such strong emotion.

Paul Kelly, of course, needs no introduction to movie fans. Here he portrays the sort of quick-tempered, self-centered, down-to- business, surly yet with a sense of fun, secondary lead at which he was so marvelously proficient.

Aside from fiendish Harry Woods, the other roles are small. Edgar Norton makes a lasting impression in the opening scenes as the playboy's snooty but unhelpful "Man Friday".

Edward F. Cline's remarkable career as a director stretches all the way from 1923 to 1948. He brought in quite a few extremely popular hits, though he is best known today for his cult comedies, Million Dollar Legs (1932), My Little Chickadee (1940), The Bank Dick (1940), Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941), Crazy House (1943), and The Ghost Catchers (1944). He died in 1961.

When a Man's a Man — as usual with Lesser productions — is a carefully crafted and wholly engaging serving of "B" entertainment. True, there are a few obvious stock shots, but their use is more than redeemed by some excellent camera-work in the film's real locations.